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Dinner at the Basin Hotel
All of the mission workers/volunteers having a dinner at the Basin to celebrate the Sarsons.Well, our time seems to really be winding down here! At the annual Synod meeting, Rev. James told Tony that he is already beginning to miss him. They seem to really have enjoyed working together, and I know they both have a great amount of respect for one another.
Tony did a great job preaching on Friday and Saturday for the annual meeting! The theme of the conference was, “Service to God is Service to Humanity”, and Tony said his main goal was to encourage the pastors to continue doing their work. We got to meet the Presiding Bishop of Kenya, who wanted Tony to travel to Northern Kenya (on the border of Somalia) to see that not all of Kenya looks the same, and to see the work of the Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK) in that area. However, Tony did not feel that this was a very wise thing to do at the moment, since Americans are advised not to travel to that part of Kenya, so he has said that maybe next time he is in Kenya, he will travel there (we’ll see!).
During the conference, a group of children from a local church performed an
Tony at the Annual Synod
Tony with the treasurer, Bishop Kaiga, and the Presiding Bishop, giving a monetary gift from St. Peter's for the Methodist Church of Kenya. amazing song and poem. They were incredible! They all recited in unison and with such enthusiasm. We were so impressed by them that we attended their church on Sunday so we could get a full video of them doing their presentation. The church was very encouraged to take good care of these kids! Also, during their performance at the Synod meeting, the young girl who played the “drums” used an old oil jar and some sticks to make the beat. So, afterwards, Rev. Alice from the hospital staff said she felt like we should collect money to buy them a drum. Everyone got up and began singing as they brought money forward to donate to these kids. They collected 7,500 Kenya Shillings! So, the church said on Sunday that they will use the leftover money to get the kids some uniforms so they will look smart for the next time they perform. It was so nice.
Last week I was able to participate in a birth on the labor ward. I realized during my day there that I have seen many deliveries in the US, but I had never seen labor before! The Kenyan nursing students were so surprised
Children's Group
The wonderful children's group who performed at the synod meeting. to hear that many women in the US have epidural medication given to them to numb them so they do not experience the pain of labor. Many people said, “But, that is the way that God made it, so a woman feels the pain of childbirth”. However, one nursing student said she now plans to travel to the US to have her babies! 😊 They said that women request pain medication here while they labor, but they are unable to afford it. Also, men are never present at the birth of their children. I was talking to some of the staff about this, and one of the hospital management team said that if a man sees his wife give birth, he is then traumatized. He said that men need to undergo counseling before they can witness their child being born. It was an interesting discussion!
This week, I am staying at the hospital to continue working on the medical ward and the trauma room of the Outpatient Department. I am doing all I can to help out, but I am finding myself limited in the amount of work I can do. However, I am really learning a lot, and
Kids
The smiling children. I will take this information back to the States with me, and will be better equipped to help out in the future.
Tony still has a few more meetings to do with the Methodist Church in the area, and he is also occupied working on the hospital video. The management team of the hospital is just so very busy that it has been difficult for him to schedule time to interview them or even get their input for the video. However, he only has a couple more people to go, and he has already started editing the video (and making cool graphics for it as well).
We leave 2 weeks from tomorrow (Wed) to go on safari. We are both very excited about the chance to relax and enjoy seeing that part of Kenya. So, until later!
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Jason Farmer
non-member comment
great pictures
It's so good to hear from you guys. We miss you here in Seattle. The picture from the Basin hotel brings back a few memories. Blessings on your last two weeks! -Jason